Mekong giant catfish

Not to be confused with giant pangasius.

The Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas) is a rare species of catfish. It is a part of the shark catfish family. It is one of the biggest species of freshwater catfish. It is endemic to the lower half of the Mekong River. Because of overfishing and habitat loss, the fish is now critically endangered. Sometimes, Mekong giant catfish are raised in aquaculture. Today, the fish are almost exclusively founds in Tonlé Sap lake and Tonle Sap river. It is unknown whether this constitutes one population, or whether there are two distinct ones. The fish is closely related to the Iridescent shark, which is also known as Pangasius.

Mekong giant catfish
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Siluriformes
Family:	Pangasiidae
Genus:	Pangasianodon
Species:	P. gigas
Binomial name
Pangasianodon gigas Chevey, 1931
Synonyms
Pangasius gigas (Chevey, 1931) Pangasius paucidensFang & Chaux, 1949

Illustration of a Mekong giant catfish at a Buddhist temple in Chiang Khong.

References

1. Hogan, Z. (2011). "Pangasianodon gigas". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T15944A5324699. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T15944A5324699.en.